Tagore Society, known for its promotion of cultural activities in Jamshedpur, now boasts a bronze sculpture of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore that was installed at Rabindra Bhavan at Sakchi on Monday.

MD Tata Steel T.V. Narendran unveiled the life-size bronze statue in the presence of former MD J.J. Irani, Jusco MD Ashish Mathur, other officials of Tata Steel and several members of Tagore Society.

The statue created by veteran sculptor Niranjan Pradhan of Calcutta is 11 feet, 2 inch tall, making it tallest statue of Tagore in the state. It was built on a budget of Rs 13 lakh.

"It was always a wish to have such a statue," said Tagore Society president H.S. Paul. "Tagore was born in a zamindari family but the family was unlike zamindars in those times. This family became the epicentre of cultural activities in Bengal," he recalled.

Narendran spoke of how the poet's thoughts were ahead of his time. "Tagore was indeed a nation builder and Jamshedpur becomes richer in terms of culture because of the presence of institutions like Tagore Society. Tagore always said he didn't remember what he was taught, but what he learnt. This tells us that education is not just about attending school and college but the passion to learn," he said before taking a look at the archives of Rabindra Bhawan.

Tagore Society secretary Ashis Choudhury said the statue was a gift to the people of Jamshedpur. "We are proud to say that this is the first statue of its kind in Jharkhand," he said.

Sudents of Tagore Academy, the school run by Tagore Society, sang the welcome song. Later, artistes of Tagore Academy of Fine Arts put up Barsha Mangal, a celebration of the monsoon through Rabindrasangeet.